New leisure company wants to get ‘everyone active’

Harborough District Council has appointed the leisure management company, Everyone Active, as it moves forward its ambitious ‘Healthy Harborough’ vision to create more opportunities for residents to enjoy sport and leisure activities across the district – as well as improve its existing leisure facilities.

To ensure continued leisure provision across the Harborough district at its existing leisure centres Harborough District Council carried out an open tender process. Following evaluation of all tenders received, Councillors agreed on 3 December 2018 to award a three-year contract to Leicestershire based ‘Everyone Active’ – part of Sports and Leisure Management (SLM) .

 Everyone Active already has a significant presence in the local area, currently running local authority-owned leisure facilities in Melton Mowbray, Oadby, Wigston, and Enderby. It works in partnership with a number of local authorities with a mission to encourage everyone to participate in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, five times per week.

The Council’s current contract with the Harborough District Leisure Trust, which employs Serco to manage the Council-owned leisure centres in Lutterworth and Market Harborough, comes to an end on 31 March 2019.

Cllr James Hallam, Harborough District Council’s portfolio holder for finance and assets, said: “We’d like to thank the Harborough District Leisure Trust and Serco for the service they have provided for customers and are continuing to provide until the end of March.”

Harborough District Council will work with Everyone Active as it continues to develop plans to replace the out-dated leisure centre in Market Harborough and refurbish Lutterworth Sports Centre to provide more sports and leisure activities for all.

Cllr Hallam added: “Councillors agreed the Everyone Active bid demonstrated excellent value for money, with significant opportunities to improve what is currently offered across the Harborough district in an innovative, dynamic and sustainable way.”

Cllr Janette Ackerley, Harborough District Council’s portfolio holder responsible for Leisure and Sport Commissioning and Delivery, said: “This is an exciting time for residents – not only are we continuing with our ambitions to provide a new leisure centre for Market Harborough and a modernisation of Lutterworth Sports Centre, we are also ready to work with this new company to provide exciting new opportunities to get active and enjoy physical activity across the whole district.”

Dan Hicks, Everyone Active’s area contract manager, said: “Harborough District Council has outlined its vision for building healthier and more active communities across the district. This includes improvements in Lutterworth Sports Centre and the provision of a leisure facility in Market Harborough, making this partnership one that we are incredibly excited about. Everyone Active has more than 30-years’ experiences of managing leisure facilities nationwide, including those in communities across the East Midlands such as Melton Mowbray, Enderby, Oadby and Wigston. We look forward to bringing those same high-standards to the leisure facilities and services in the Harborough District over the next three years.”